Lilva Kachori

Some of you already are aware of my Friday fasts. Yes, I religiously fasted for 11 Fridays and worshiped Ma Laxmi, Goddess of wealth. These 11 peaceful Fridays were for thanking God for what I have, thanking God for giving me the ability to spread my knowledge as a science teacher and as a food blogger, thanking God for the wonderful family and to shower our family with good health and happiness. My husband used to feel super excited about my Friday fast. In Hindu culture, worshiping God is accompanied by offering a homemade sweet dish which is called as Prasad. So now you know why my husband was super excited... yes, I would usually make a sweet offering of his choice. He would so look forward to Friday evening dinner and a delicious dessert :)

11th Friday being the last day of my fast, I prepared the entire dinner as an offering and invited few of my friends over for Prasad. Kheer, puri, chana, aloo ki sabzi, lemon rice, and of course a gujarati farsan, lilva kachori.

Lilva means green...Tuvar/toor lilva are fresh whole tuvar beans before they are dried and split to become tovar/toor dal. In India, winter is the season when they are harvested fresh and made Undhiyu with. Undhiyu is a traditional delicacy of Gujarati meal. I had never known that whole fresh toor could be used in recipes other than Undhiyu. I noticed famous Gujarati food brands like Swad, Garvi Gujarat, and Deep Foods sell Lilva Kachori in the packets in the frozen section of Indian store. That is when I thought I could make these kachoris at home. Believe me, these are just simple, crisp kachoris, but with the filling make of green tovar/toor.

Ingredients to make 10-12 small kachoris

For the filling:

3/4 cup tuvar lilva or green peas or edamame

1/2 cup shredded coconut

1 tsp. cumin seeds

1 tsp. red chilli powder

Handful of chopped cilantro

Juice of fresh lime

salt to taste

For the covering:

1 cup maida/all purpose flour

1 tbsp. ghee/clarified butter

1/4 tsp. umin seeds

1/4 tsp. carrom seeds/ajwain

1 tsp. salt

Water to make stiff dough

• Use fresh or frozen tuvar lilva. Add some water and microwave for 4-5 minutes or till done. You could also use green peas or edamame to make kachoris and cooking them in the microwave. When cooked, remove excess water and slightly crush them with a fork. let them cool for sometime.
• Add coconut, cumin, red chilli powder, salt, cilantro, lime juice.
• Mix well and keep the filling aside.
• In a bowl mix maida/all purpose flour, salt, ghee, cumin seeds, and carrom seeds. Add little water at a time to make a stiff dough. Knead the dough for 2-3 minutes. Cover and let the dough rest for 15 minutes. 
• Knead the dough for a minute and divide the dough into 10-12 equal parts.
• Taking one part of the dough, roll it into a 3-4 inch diameter disc.
• Place 1 tbsp. filling in the center of the disc. Bring all the sides together and press to fuse the dough well.
• Keep the kachori aside while you make more. 
• It is advisable to flip kachoris every few minutes to avoid from getting moist and sticking at the base.
• It is okay for kachoris to dry out so that they get crisp on frying.
• After all the kochoris are ready, heat the oil till it is slightly hot. Kachoris need to be fried on low heat flipping it so that they get crisp and delicious.
• Serve with cilantro chutney or date and tamarind chutney.
• Enjoy!!

 Here is step-by-step pictorial recipe:

Use fresh or frozen tuvar lilva. Add some water and microwave for 4-5 minutes or till done. You could also use green peas or edamame to make kachoris and cooking them in the microwave. When cooked, remove excess water and slightly crush them with a fork. let them cool for some time.

Add coconut, cumin, red chilli powder, salt, cilantro, lime juice.

Mix well and keep the filling aside.

In a bowl mix maida/all purpose flour, salt, ghee, cumin seeds, and carrom seeds. Add little water at a time to make a stiff dough. Knead the dough for 2-3 minutes. Cover and let the dough rest for 15 minutes.

Knead the dough for a minute and divide the dough into 10-12 equal parts.

Taking one part of the dough, roll it into a 3-4 inch diameter disc.

Place 1 tbsp. filling in the center of the disc. Bring all the together and press to fuse the dough well.

Keep the kachori aside while you make more.

It is advisable to flip kachoris every few minutes to avoid from getting moist and sticking at the base.

It is okay for kachoris to dry out so that they get crisp on frying.

After all the kochoris are ready, heat the oil till it is slightly hot. Kachoris need to be fried on low heat flipping it so that they get crisp and delicious.

Serve with cilantro chutney.

Enjoy these crisp and delicious kachoris!